Second floor common room, Tuesday afternoon

[lovemykilt]

Priestly was perched on the counter again, this time next to the coffee pot. His mohawk was still green from yesterday, but it matched his "I sell crack for the CIA" t-shirt and he didn't want to risk getting dye on his clothes. He had his legs crossed -- never fear, he was wearing pants, no danger of accidental flashing here. And he was talking

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[blinkandsneeze]

"Does the machine care if you talk to it?" she wondered idly, wandering in to poke around for some sweets.

[thismaskiwear]

Clocky rolled up to Viki and beeped happily. It cared if it was being talked to!

[blinkandsneeze]

She knelt down, offering her hand to it. "Oh, hello," Viki said cheerfully enough. "You're very cute, aren't you?"

[thismaskiwear]

Yes it was, and Clocky rolled up to her with an affirmative beep, waiting for a pat on the . . . head sort of thing.

[blinkandsneeze]

She dutifully patted it on the 'head'. "Have you an owner?" Viki inquired. "Or are you a free spirit entirely and indenpendent?"

[thismaskiwear]

Clocky whistled, a "wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" sort of sound, but swiveled in Katchoo's direction and beeped again.

[blinkandsneeze]

"You have a very talkative machine," Viki called.

[thismaskiwear]

Katchoo turned and glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah. Sadly."

Clocky trilled at Viki. She shouldn't listen to the cranky one! She was just cranky because she hadn't learned to love waking up yet!

[blinkandsneeze]

"I'm afraid I don't understand you," she said, glancing down, then at the girl. "Has it a name?"

[thismaskiwear]

"The box said Clocky, so that's what I'm going with." Katchoo shrugged one shoulder. "'course, the box didn't say anything about it being alive either, so I'm blaming Fandom."

[blinkandsneeze]

"It does seem to be blamable for many things," she agreed, kneeling down to see if Clocky would follow her fingers. "Though Clocky is a well enough name. I once knew a larger sort, called Gadget, who'd been made by someone."

[thismaskiwear]

Fingers! Clocky chirped gleefully and tried, in its two-wheeled way, to pounce . . . which pretty much amounted to a brief but quick forward roll and a bweeeeeeeeeet!

"It was a Christmas present from my best friend," Katchoo explained, the harsh edge of her voice softening ever so slightly on those last two words.

[blinkandsneeze]

Awwww.

She blinked down at Clocky. "Kind of her," she offered sincerely, "and it does seem rather affectionate."

For, you know, an alarm clock.

[thismaskiwear]

Clocky let out a series of rapid beeps, so low it sounded almost like a purr.

"It's . . . really persistent," Katchoo conceded. "And yeah, Francine . . . I don't think she could ever be not nice if she tried."

[blinkandsneeze]

The almost purr got more awwww.

"It's rare to find that," Viki noted. "You are lucky, I would say."

[thismaskiwear]

"What, having Francine around?" Clocky beeped excitedly at the mention of her name. It was thanks to her that Clocky was around, after all. An actual smile, fleeting though it was, crossed Katchoo's face. "Yeah, gotta say I really am."